Recommendation for Healey Blue and Old English White Paint

[BG 62AH]

Guys,

I am hoping for a recommendation from someone who has had good success with Healey Blue and Old English White paint. I am restoring a BJ7. I am hoping for a high quality single stage paint. I am planning on shooting the primer/surfacer and sealer myself, as well as the paint the jams, boot, and engine bay.

I want to have a paint or body shop shoot the exterior because I want that part done in a booth.

The exterior will be a single color, I just don't know which one yet. The car was born Healey Blue, but came to me Old English White, which has grown on me.

Any recommendation on paint manufacturer, and specific color codes that are consistent with original BMC would really be appreciated. Also any feedback on the use of single stage paint, as I had potentially considered 2 stage for the exterior only.

Thank you so much!

 

[Healey 100]

My suggestions:

Don't use single stage with a metallic color like Healey Ice Blue. You can't color sand and buff a single stage paint with those flakes in it.

If you use ice blue, beware of large metallic flakes in modern metallic mixes. The big flakes just don't look right on a Healey. Make sure they use fine grain silver in the mix and get a sample to paint to make sure you like it.

I don't know any modern mix for Ice Blue, but there is probably one out there. Find a modern equivalent from a production car if you can -- then you can find touch up paint and repeat the mix if you need more.

With Old English White, single stage should work fine. I personally find the two stage system easier to apply and get a good quality job. Ask your painter what they prefer.

Good luck!

 

[Healey 100]

One more comment: Not too many good painters would agree to paint over a DIY primer/surface prep. The painting and primer process is highly integrated. When the primer is blocked out by hand, all sorts of imperfections are found and corrected. If they do paint over your prep, get ready to hear that any flaws are in the prep, not the color coats. More likely, they will insist on adding a few more surface coats to clean up the job. Compatibility of your primer with the shop's color coats can also be an issue.

If you just want a paint booth, you might be able to arrange renting one from a body shop or tech school. But I think the need for a paint booth to get a high quality job is overstated. A paint booth mainly protects the painter and shop personnel from dangerous fumes. Fact is, paint booths are full of dust and old dried paint and you will still get dirt in your paint that will need to be buffed and color sanded out.

 

[andrea]

I used the PPG paint for my car COLORADO RED it appear be correct
on this list appear also The Healey Ice Blue and The Old English White and list are specific for ROVER and veteran HEALEY & MG cars
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/39xoVqVjZfRzUnHHnAk0DdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
Hope this help

 

[vette]

Hi BG, When I painted my Healey this past winter, I used 1979 Ford Thunderbird, Light Blue Metallic. I had painted the Thunderbird about ten years ago and when I was hunting for the right colour for my Healey I came across a test panel I had painted when doing the Thunderbird. I said 'That's it. Close to almost if not perfect." I don't have the paint code or the correct name at the moment but it you need it I can find it. But you can find it by looking at the 1979 Ford colour charts. I believe Thunderbird colours are broken out unto a separate chart. It is deffinately best to use Lacquer or Base/Clear paints to do metallics. Base/Clear is very good because you can dust the metallic on to get it very even and you can besure you are very satisfied with the metallic before you spray the clear. I use Matrix brand paints which are a knock off of PPG. The metallics usually come in 3 different sizes. The paint code for the colour I used uses the small metallic. I will try to attach pics of my Healey large enough that you can see the finish. Dave.

 

[BG 62AH]

Thank you all so much, I really appreciate the help.

 

[Csarneson]

Bill what did you settle on?

I was never able to find a 79 TBird color that was right. Chrysler had a color in 04 called Butane Blue that looked similar.

Chris

 

[BG 62AH]

Chris, I am going with an Old English White. But I will use modern a Mini Cooper color called Pepper White. Several BCF members made suggestions to me on this in a separate thread.

 

[vette]

Chris, I just dug out the can of paint I used on my Healey Blue BJ7. Here's the numbers written on the can. " MED Webgewood, BLU MST BK, Code - 3H, 45763 KH.
When I painted the t-bird I used a Dupont Chromabase paint. But when I got to doing the Healey, I no longer had a local supplier for Dupont paints so I went with the Matrix brand paint. The Matrix brand paints kept mixing up alittle darker than the Dupont so I had the shop lighten it alittle. I had already painted my interior, trunk and engine bay with the Dupont so I was trying to match that. The final exterior paint is the Matrix. I sprayed about 4 test panels before I was happy with the final colour. I will try to attach some pics of the two colours. Lighting and the camera has a significant affect on the picture but the two mixes are so close that no one can pic it out.

 

[Csarneson]

That color sure looks right to my untrained eye. Thanks Vette. I will look at it. I saw Wedgewood Blue samples but only some of them looked metallic. Others called Wedgewood blue looked way too dark. Ford did some crazy stuff with color during that time period.

 

[vette]

Here some other ideas about matching colour. As said earlier there are different sizes of the metallic. But too I think the colour code encorporates what size metallic to use but that can be changed. I did not specify any other metallic size other than what the code called for. Also darkness with metallics can change by how you lay the paint on. If you are heavy, meaning heavy handed with the paint gun or you lay the paint on too heavy or wet, the metallic will tend to sink and then it won't reflect as much light and it will be darker. To get it to be light you really need to mist the colour coats on, lay them on fairly thin so that not any one coat will seem to cover. Then in the end, pull the gun back and mist the colour on so that the metallic lands on a fairly dry surface. Then it can't sink. Dave.

 

[ahealey1004]

hi Bill- the OEW color some friends of mine have used who restore a lot of Healeys is actually a color from a Chrysler PT Cruiser- it's called "Cool Vanilla". The brand code is 6211 and the oem code is "AY110XWG, WG, XWG". I actually liked the color so much in person I snapped a pic of the can! Can't figure out how to post from my mobile phone, so I hope the code helps.

 

[bucaneer]

I had a fender repaired on my 67 BJ8 and the body shop used a General Motors Light Blue. The description on the can is as follows 342333k - Chrome Base, General Motors Corp, Code 25, Year 1985, Color Lt Blue - Effect. I was very pleased with the match.

 

[BG 62AH]

Thanks for the recommendation on the cool vanilla. I have noticed some Chrysler cars with an off white that I thought would be a good fit from my car.

I really appreciate all of the suggestions. Getting the shade of white correct is really important, since I will be looking at it for a very long time.

 

[ahealey1004]

hi Bill- attached (if this works) is an image of Cool Vanilla from a 3000 on the rotisserie at Healey Lane Restorations of Marcola, Oregon (John and Robert Wilson). It's a very nice color and looks great in person. I apologize for the strange orientation, I couldn't rotate the image. But then again, it's an image of a frame on a rotisserie.

 

[ahealey1004]

A few more pics. Sorry again for the orientation
.